After Luo Luo was wiped dry with a towel, Qiao Moyu occupied the tub herself and took a bath. When she finished and stepped out of the bathroom, she heard voices coming from her son's room.
The nanny had entered the room and asked, "Luo Luo, why don't you sleep? Baobei needs to go to bed early to grow tall!"
The toddler rolling over in bed, unable to sleep. Nanny Yu looked over to Qiao Moyu and explained: "Luo Luo asked me to tell him the story of Little Red Riding Hood that you shared with him before, but I don't know what it's about."
Just what in the world is Little Red Riding Hood? Never heard of it!
So Qiao Moyu walked towards the room and said, "Alright, I'll come over."
She sat next to the restless Luo Luo and said with a smile, "Baobei, we won't be talking about Little Red Riding Hood tonight. Instead, let's switch to a new story called the Big Black Hat!"
Luo Luo blinked and his wide open eyes stared curiously at his mother.
Qiao Moyu began her story: "On a dark and windy night, there was a bear with a big black hat. He was very large, with a mouthful of sharp fangs and a thick body so dense with muscle to the point where he could kill a zebra with a single strike..."
Little Luo trembled in his bed. His chubby little finger quietly reached out and tightly held on to his mother's finger.
Qiao Moyu looked down at the pudgy little hand that looked like a lotus root and felt as if her heartstrings were strummed. She continued: "He was feeling hungry so he wanted to go hunt for an antelope."
"Mom, Luo Luo is sleepy and doesn't want to listen to stories anymore." The little guy shook his head and yawned.
Qiao Moyu was satisfied. She used to be obsessed with this story when she was little and right now, it was quite useful. She kissed Luo Luo's little face and said: "Baobei should close his eyes and sleep well!"
"Okay," Luo Luo said with a nod. His long eyelashes fluttered as he closed his eyes, until it rested still on his chubby little face.
His grasp around her finger didn't loosen, so she didn't leave the room.
Qiao Moyu gazed at the sleeping child in bed. Since she came to this world, she will definitely take good care of this baby angel and not let him end up as he did in the original novel's plot, where he was separated from his mother and had disappeared without a trace!
As for the child's father, she might find a chance to take a strand of Xing Yicheng's hair!
The very next day, Miss Moyu arrived at the set early in the morning. She was scheduled to act with Ye Peicheng.
The plot went like this: Qiao Moyu's father died of a serious injury, causing his daughter to feel overcome with grief and anger. When she discovered that his wounds were poisoned, Qiao Moyu planned to avenge her father.
However, Ye Peicheng stopped her and said it was too dangerous for her to go alone. She needed to look at things from a broader perspective.
Qiao Moyu felt that Ye Peicheng was greedy for life and was simply afraid of death. For the first time, she actually lost her temper with him. However, when she awakened after being stunned unconscious by Ye Peicheng, she realized that he only persuaded her because he was afraid of her falling into danger. Her childhood friend planned to go alone on her behalf, but she had misunderstood him.
When she rushed out to meet him, she found the man drenched in blood. Ye Peicheng embraced her tightly and told her that he had avenged Master!
At that moment, their brewing feelings for each other reached a tipping point and broke through. They shared their first real kiss as a couple.
Since these scenes required an outburst of emotions, it demanded a high-leveled performance from both actors. That was why Qiao Moyu arrived at the set early while thinking about how to tackle the scenes. She was immersed in her studies until the director called out her name.
Chapter 20:
The current scene being shot was the couple's dispute outside of Qiao Moyu's house. At this time, Qiao Moyu grasped her sword tightly as she was about to depart, but she happened to meet Ye Peicheng who came to stop her.
The man clasped her arm with one hand, and with a dull pain within the depths of his eyes, he spoke pleadingly: "If you carry out your revenge now, you'll only end up dying!"
She looked up in disbelief upon hearing his words: "What do you mean?"
"Yan-er, don't be reckless. Let's think things through and make a long term plan." Ye Peicheng urgently grasped Qiao Moyu's shoulder.
She looked up at him and fiercely retorted, "He's my father and your teacher. How could I wait?"
Director: "Cut!"
He frowned as he looked at Qiao Moyu and advised, "Moyu, the man in front of you is your lover. Your father was murdered, but your lover is idly sitting by. What mood should you be in? Shouldn't there be disappointment and grief? Even pure anger?"
Qiao Moyu replied: "I'm sorry director, I'll try again!"
In other words, the character she played should only have one thought in mind-to absolutely kill the enemy, regardless of her own life or death!
And the man she loved actually dared to obstruct her. If she didn't have a relationship with him, she would have already attacked him and brought him down to the ground.
Unexpectedly, Qiao Moyu had a bit of understanding of how being 'lovers' would affect the character's mood.
"Good, get ready!" The deputy director instructed the cameraman to adjust the lens once again.
Qiao Moyu bowed her head without looking anywhere else. When the director shouted for them to start once again, she slowly lifted her gaze and looked directly at Ye Peicheng.
Qiao Moyu's eyes were filled with disappointment and sorrow. Her voice wavered slightly: "He's my father, and your teacher. How could I wait?"
Ye Peicheng clearly perceived Qiao Moyu's mood. His expression revealed a slight surprise, as if he had accidentally hurt the woman's feelings.
He couldn't help but stare deeply at the girl in front of him, but then unexpectedly, a hand knife quickly and accurately struck towards him.
It was then, that Qiao Moyu collapsed.
Although she never rehearsed this move, the way she fell looked completely natural, as if done by an experienced actress. Her body relaxed completely and was caught by Ye Peicheng's arms.
"Cut!" The director was very satisfied. "Moyu, if you can act this well, why do I have to instruct you before you do a good job?"
Qiao Moyu bit her lip and replied, "Maybe because I'm a little stupid, so I need you to enlighten me."
After her reply, the director sat stunned while the crew laughed altogether.
After two days of working as a team, many of the crew members had fallen in love with the girl named Qiao Moyu. Not only was she straightforward when speaking, she was also very beautiful. Rather than being a delicate and spoiled girl, her personality was actually very pleasant and easygoing.
Upon seeing the crowd laugh at Qiao Moyu, Xing Wanshuang's gaze darkened. She was dissatisfied yesterday on her way home when she read the comments on the drama's photoshoot.
Those people online need to get their eyes checked. That photo of Qiao Moyu was obviously really ugly and disgusting to look at, and yet they're all saying it's cute. Why would someone even put it up as a wallpaper?
There's also that one video. They're calling it amazing just because of a few spinning kicks. Ha ha,they're all just sensationalizing things!
Unexpectedly, Ye Peicheng, who never compliments others, even liked that actress' video. She believed that Ye Peicheng's finger must have accidentally slipped and pressed the 'like' button. The man was so splendid and magnificent that she couldn't even pluck the courage to curry to him or climb his branches. If she, Xing Wanshuang couldn't get in his field of vision, how could a fake pheasant like Qiao Moyu possibly have a chance of grabbing his attention?
Chapter 21
"Okay, get ready for the next scene," the director said as he glanced warningly at the crew who just enjoyed laughing too much. He approached Qiao Moyu and reminded her, "You just found out that your lover was drenched in blood after helping you avenge your father. What expression do you think you should have?"
Qiao Moyu knew that the director was helping her by indirectly giving pointers on how to perform, so she earnestly replied: "Should it be heartache?"
"As the character, you realized that you had misunderstood his good intentions; you also saw his painful wounds, and discovered that he resolved your hatred and carried out vengeance on your behalf!" The director sighed and said, "Alright, get ready! When you go home this evening, study the script! If you there's still some points you don't understand when we regroup with the crew, don't hesitate to ask your seniors."
"Okay," she humbly nodded.
The next scene was shot at a narrow road. Qiao Moyu urgently ran along the path until she finally came across Ye Peicheng.
He also saw her approaching, and the couple stood stared deeply into each other's eyes at this end of the road. Although the man was soaked in blood and his sword dragged on the ground, he still managed to smile at her.
The woman's eyes suddenly turned moist and red. She rushed to his side, but she felt a little afraid to touch him: "Ling Cang, what happened to you? Where did were you injured?"
The smile on his face deepened, and he said with a sigh, "My injury is alright. Sister, I finally avenged Master!"
He stretched out his arm and held her in a tight embrace.
At that moment, Ye Peicheng obviously felt Qiao Moyu tense up, as if she was about to break away from his arms and push him away.
He pulled her slightly closer and bowed next to her cheeks. He whispered next to her ear, but it was at an angle where the camera lens couldn't capture his moving lips: "Keep holding on."
His voice was so low that she could barely feel his breath. But the impulse to break away instantly dissipated.
She forced herself to settle down and gradually returned to the empty state she had before. Then, she felt Ye Peicheng's body gradually relax. He looked down at her with a gaze that slowly deepened with passion.
It's said that Ye Peicheng was born to become a Film Emperor because he can be two entirely different people outside in real life versus inside the drama when acting.
Outside acting, he was indifferent and composed, showing neither joy nor anger. However, when acting, he can display any exaggerated or affectionate expression. Ye Peicheng could act out a psychopath, a hysterical addict, or even a simple and supportive teacher.
And the scriptwriter for the drama "Sheng Shi" had helped him early on in his career, so even though he hadn't worked with a TV series in years, he directly accepted their casting as the role of the male lead.
At this moment, his eyes appeared almost bottomless, like a deep whirlpool; there were bloodstains on his cheek. His beauty was truly captivating, and like a fatal temptation, he drew closer little by little until his lips were infinitely close to Qiao Moyu's.
Qiao Moyu wasn't used to being so close to a man. At this moment, she didn't feel enticed at all by Ye Peicheng's affection or attractive looks. Instead, her discomfort drew her out of her previous empty state. Qiao Moyu was feeling very anxious, but the director hasn't yelled 'cut' just yet, so she wasn't sure whether or not she was making mistakes right now.
That is, until she felt a hand cover her eyes, and the scent of a man overwhelmed her. She felt a hand fasten behind her neck. Ye Peicheng pulled her in and pressed her close within his embrace for a few minutes.
"Relax, don't move. Just leave it to me." He spoke with a deep, low voice. Even if Qiao Moyu couldn't see a thing, she felt as if man's lips were close to hers by a thin sheet of paper.
She didn't move as she felt the man's hands comb through her hair; the warmth of his palms imprinted at the back of her head. The man's breathe next to her lips was more obvious.
There was a hushed silence all around, and only the traces of the wind could be heard.
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Author's Afterword:
Film Emperor Ye: I'm so handsome, but not only did she stop acting, she even dared to abandon my embrace!
Autho Jin: What about your reputation?